Swimmers ready to dive in after pool's £500,000 revamp

It will reopen on Monday, April 12 after an overhaul of the changing room areas, which include larger family changing rooms, a changing room for customers with disabilities, lockers for storage and a new heating and ventilation system.

There have also been improvements to the poolside, with a new sound and light system installed which can be used for children's parties or to provide a more relaxed ambience for older people.

The improvements at Scott Hall have been funded by Leeds City Council and Sport England through the national free swimming programme, which has proved successful in Leeds.

In the first year of the programme to offer free swimming for anyone 16 and under and 60 and over, Leeds has seen the second-highest number of free swims taken up out of all the towns and cities taking part across the country. The scheme aims to encourage people to be more physically active in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics,

Leeds City Council executive member for Leisure, Coun John Procter, said: "We are delighted with both the success of our free swimming programme in Leeds and that the pool at Scott Hall Leisure Centre will very soon be open again for even more people to go for a swim.

"As a council we are committed to providing the best fitness facilities we can to help people of all ages be physically active, and the upgrades at Scott Hall are part of an ongoing citywide programme to help us achieve that," Coun Proctor added

He thanked people for their patience while the centre was closed.

Dave Mitchinson, Sport England free swimming development manager said: "Sport England firmly believes that investments like Scott Hall are an excellent example of what can be achieved by joint working and will further complement the ongoing investments being made by Leeds City Council to its swimming and general leisure facilities."

For more information call 0113 262 4721 or for full details on free swimming in Leeds visit www.leeds.gov.uk and search for 'free swimming'.